Transmission device housing construction with shaft lubricating oil shield cover generating lubricant pool

Claim 1

In combination with a transmission device including a casing elongated towards a power transfer aperture defined therein, a first bearing mounted in said power transfer aperture, a second bearing, a power output member rotatably supported in said power transfer aperture by said first bearing, and a power output shaft within said casing, an outer end of which power output shaft is rotationally coupled to said power output member and an inner portion of which power output shaft is supported from said casing by said second bearing, said power output shaft being formed with an axially extending aperture for receiving supply of lubricating oil and with a radially extending aperture communicating at its radially inward end to said axially extending aperture, for squirting out lubricating oil from said power output shaft in generally radial directions as said power output shaft revolves, a lubricating oil shield cover comprising: a base portion mounted to said casing at a position close to said second bearing on the side thereof towards said first bearing; an extension portion elongated from said base portion in the direction of said first bearing and positioned under said power output shaft; an end wall portion reaching upwards from the end of said extension portion closest to said first bearing towards said power output shaft, with the lowest point of the upper edge of said end wall portion closely approaching the power output shaft at an axial position along said power output shaft at which the diameter of said power output shaft is substantially less than it is at the axial part thereof at which said power output shaft is supported by said second bearing from said casing said extension portion rising on either side of said power output shaft at least to the height of said lowest point of said upper edge of said end wall portion of said lubricating oil shield cover, and said extension portion further having an opening therein at a point not on the lowest part thereof and at an axial position corresponding to the axial position along said power output shaft of said radially extending aperture; and a space for accumulating a pool of lubricating oil ejected from said radially extending aperture in said power output shaft being defined by said lubricating oil shield cover and said casing, so that as lubricating oil accumulates in said space it first can escape therefrom by overflowing over said lowest point of said upper edge of said end wall portion of said lubricating oil shield cover so as to flow to the side of the lower part of said extension portion of said lubricating oil shield cover facing said power output shaft, said lubricating oil pool at such a stage reaching so high as to wet the lower portion of said first bearing.